Read this in 5 minutes, the illustrations are lovely and the story itself shows the heart of a child.

They know, the bird is warm still it's heart isn't beating. How the kids sing for the bird, and put to grave is such a sweet gesture.

Kid's need to learn this at a very small age that humans and animal's are alike and should be treated alike.

I recommend this for all young children, not just those in mourning.

The story is a simple, matter-of-fact description of the time a group of young friends find a dead bird. The children observe how the bird is still warm but its heart has stopped beating; soon later, the bird becomes cold and stiff and the children can no longer easily move its tiny limbs.

They decide to mimic an adult funeral by carrying the bird into the forest while singing about how it will no longer fly, on account of being dead. The bird is wrapped in leaves and flowers, gently covered in dirt, and the children sing their song once more before laying down a stone they've written on for their dead bird. They then visit the grave with flowers each day until the day comes that they forget, and from the forest the bird's little stone watches on as the friends play baseball in the clearing they found it in.

The story is so simple and has the sweetest illustrations. While the feelings of death could've been dealt with in more detail, the truth is that the funeral was for a little bird they found, not a beloved pet or relative.

This would be an excellent book for a young child to read in preparation for the funeral of a distant relative or stranger; reading and discussing appropriate behavior surrounding death in general could really help them navigate the situation for the first time.